


The Closet Story

by foryouandbits



Series: Tumblr Ficlets [11]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-11 00:12:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8944906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foryouandbits/pseuds/foryouandbits
Summary: After the events of 3.13, Bitty skypes his mom. Just like everyone else, it turns out Suzanne already knows.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a warning quick about this - Bitty doesn't intend to come out and Suzanne doesn't make him say it, but she does bring it up and it's uncomfortable and angsty. If that bothers you, you might want to skip it. She does it from a place of love and wants him to be happy, but this isn't how I expect it to go down in the actual comic nor would I want it to.

"Did you get my picture?" Suzanne asked excitedly before Bitty could even say hello. Jack was watching tape on Bitty's bed, his headphones on, carefully out of frame of the webcam. Bitty had done his cursory once-over of the room before he signed onto Skype for his meeting with his mother, just to ensure no sign of Jack was visible. Jack's overnight bag had been carefully placed inside the closet along with his coat. Jack had thrown off most of his clothes already, lying under the sheets with just his boxers and Falconers t-shirt on, and Bitty had kicked Jack's pants and shoes into a corner.

Suzanne was wearing the jersey now, and after she asked her question she lifted it into frame so Bitty could clearly see the _A_ embroidered to the upper left of the logo. The grin on Suzanne's face was unmistakable, the kind that Bitty had unfortunately inherited. Neither of them had a poker face and neither of them could keep in their emotions in check when the other's began. Bitty felt the smile tug up the corners of his lips and when his mother let go of the edges of her jersey, they were both grinning wickedly at each other.

"Yes, Mama, I got your picture," said Bitty. "You're ridiculous."

"I told you I was going to get one! It just came in the mail today! Next time I see you, you should have Jack sign it for me." Bitty forcibly refused to let his eyes drift to the right, but out of his peripheral vision Jack hadn't flinched. He was deep into hockey robot mode right now; it wouldn't be until Bitty climbed into the bed next to him and placed his face in front of the screen that Jack would notice anything other than footage of their upcoming opponent.

"Okay, Mama," said Bitty.

"Make sure you tell him I'm proud of him."

"I already did, Mama; you told me to tell him after the ceremony –"

"Well I mean it, and it's important that he knows. I want you to make sure you tell him that your daddy and I are so proud of him and everything he's accomplished this year. He's so talented and he's so young, he's just going to get better and better from here on out. Tell him –" Suzanne's smile was fading and her eyes were beginning to get misty, which drained all of the happiness out of Bitty's face. "Tell him that we love him, too, okay? Like he's our own son. Not exactly like our own son, but maybe like a – like a –"

"Mama," Bitty warned, and the familiar dread he'd felt for the majority of his post-pubescent life creeped its way into the center of Bitty's chest.

"Maybe like a son-in-law?"

"Mama, stop," said Bitty. He pulled his scarf up from his neck and buried the lower half of his face in it; Suzanne's image over the webcam was growing fuzzy.

"And tell him if there's anything he ever needs to tell us, he can." Her voice was beginning to grow weepy. "We're both here to listen. We love him and we would never judge him, because that's what love is, you know, honey? It doesn't judge, and it's, it's –"

"Mama, I can't," Bitty replied and covered his entire face with the scarf. He could hear his mother's tears over his laptop's speakers, but he also heard Jack shift in the bed. His face was hidden but he could feel Jack's eyes on him. "Don't make me say it, okay?"

"Okay, sweetie," said Suzanne in her low, hushed tone, and instantly Bitty was six years old and he'd told his mother he'd been stealing cookies out of the jar and he had been _so afraid_ of what she would say, but this wasn't stealing cookies out of the jar. This was big, and serious, and so, so much worse. She couldn't hold him close and tell him it was okay that he'd done it because he was sorry. She was a thousand miles away and there was no going back from this. Once it was out, it was out. "Sweetie, it's okay. You don't have to say anything. I love you. Your daddy loves you. Nothing will ever, ever change that."

Bitty lifted his face but couldn't look at the screen. He didn't want to see his mother's face, so he turned to the bed where Jack was waiting. The concern his mother wore was there on Jack's face too, but there was nothing they could do. Jack was ready for the exact moment the camera shut off so he could bundle up Bitty in his arms and hold him close. Bitty wanted Jack to hold him.

"Mama, I have to go."

"Okay. I love you. Jack, honey, I love you too."

Bitty sobbed into his scarf; Jack hung up the call, careful to stay out of sight. Suzanne disappeared and Bitty threw his arms around Jack. Jack held him tightly and waited for Bitty to cry it out. It took several minutes and lots of gasping tears before Bitty finally lifted his face from Jack's shoulder and began to wipe at his eyes.

"I didn't hear the first part," said Jack. "Did you tell her?"

"No," said Bitty, shaking his head. "She knew."

"We're the worst at keeping secrets," said Jack and Bitty laughed, a sharp, short laugh before fresh tears fell out of his eyes. "Hey, hey, bud, it's okay. She sounded okay with it."

"I just wasn't expecting it?" Bitty raised the tone of his voice as if it were a question. "I thought she was just going to show me her jersey and go into how much she loves Marty and Thirdy again. I didn't think – I didn't think she would bring it up. I didn't think she would ever bring it up."

"I think she just wants you to know it's okay. You talk to her every day, Bits, and I hear a lot of it. She doesn't want you to hide. I don't think you want to hide either, eh?" Bitty shook his head. "You don't have to say anything you don't want to say, but – she is your best friend." Bitty took in several deep breaths and Jack wiped away the smudge of moisture still on Bitty's nose. "We can do it together, if you want. I can be right there." Bitty nodded.

"Yeah," said Bitty. "Yeah, okay. Just give me a minute."

Jack waited and watched Bitty's emotions play out on his face: Bitty looked to the ceiling, took a breath; wiped his eyes again, then took a breath; looked directly at Jack and took a breath. Jack offered him a gentle smile, and it caused Bitty's small mouth to curve to the side as he nodded again.

"Okay, let's call her back."

There was only one chair in the room and Bitty was vehemently against calling his mother from the bed – "She _cannot_ officially know you're my boyfriend while we're both sitting on my bed. Those are not memories I want associated with each other." – so Jack grabbed the chair from Chowder's room and then they both sat down in front of the computer together. Jack took Bitty's hand in his. Bitty looked over at him.

"Ready?" Jack asked.

"Ready."

They both turned to the screen.


End file.
